Chen Chia Lin is an incredibly relatable female lead. She can be quite goofy and somewhat naive, but her character is profoundly human. The drama is told in two different timelines and bounces between her childhood and present day. In doing so, it allowed us to really come to understand not only her character but the character of the people around her as well. I think anyone who has experienced loss, whether it be the loss of a loved one or simply the lack of direction in life would be able to relate to her struggles.
I didn't expect that it would have as much depth as it did, but this drama somehow managed to balance a good amount of hilarious comedy with mature, contemplative depth. I don't want to spoil too much but they managed to discuss a lot of issues/topics that, while being somewhat specific to the culture, can also be taken out of that context and examined in another as well.
Overall really, really loved it. Actors were all 10/10. Please do yourself a favor and give it a try.
*Not sure if there are English subtitles though, and a lot of Taiwanese is spoken. Just a note!*
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The acting, writing, and directing are all superb. The story is seamless, with each episode focusing on a theme from Jia Ling/a relative’s life, building up to the larger story. I loved both the present day and past storyline equally - which doesn’t balance often in other dramas. Each episode, I felt like I was listening to the stories of a real family, as it reminded me of my own relatives or of myself.
My favorite episodes were 1, 3, 4, and 8 - but I was tearing up every single episode, really. I loved the beginning, middle, and end, and am so glad this story exists.
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Relatable and heartfelt
It took me a little while to get into this and I liked the younger timeline a lot better than the older adult one, where there was a lot more annoying slapstick humor. It just felt more comforting and the family theme was really strong.But the adult timeline really grew on me as the drama went on, and in the end, it was that one that hit the hardest. It was just a really beautiful depiction of family life in Tainan, and the bits of political and historical context that it included were also really raw and realistic.
I also have to especially give props to the lead actresses — both the adult and the younger versions did an amazing job of bringing the character to life and making it feel cohesive and natural. And the relationship between the siblings was actually one of my favorite parts in this show. Would highly recommend this.
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Don't be surprised if this drama makes you tear up!
I picked up this drama after a recommendation from a friend, but realised that there aren't any english subtitles available and that this drama was 80% in Taiwanese! So I heavily relied on my Chinese reading skills. This drama focuses on a female lead who is 39, hating her job and her life and just overall feeling lost (something that can be very relatable).A lot of this show takes viewers back to when the female lead was a young girl and it's here where you see themes of family, love and laughter. What I loved about this drama was how heart-warming it was. I'm pretty sure I teared up in most of this drama and every episode focussed on a memorable experience in the female lead's life. I especially think that it would be super relatable if you had grew up in that era (in the 80s) in a rural town like Tainan.
I wish this drama had english subtitles and was more widely available (there's not much information in english about this drama), but I hope it will be available on Netflix international soon because more people should watch it!
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